The Age of the Medici 

This is a lengthy exposition of the social and political history of renaissance Florentine history, told through dramatised conversations between the main participants, particularly Cosimo ... See full synopsis »

Stars:

Marcello Di Falco, Virgilio Gazzolo, Adriano Amidei Migliano

Cast

Series cast summary:
Marcello Di Falco	...	Cosimo de' Medici 3 episodes, 1972-1973
Virgilio Gazzolo	...	Leon Battista Alberti 2 episodes, 1973
Adriano Amidei Migliano	...	Carlo degli Alberti 2 episodes, 1973
Michel Bardinet	...	Ciriaco d'Arpaso 2 episodes, 1973
Roberto Bisacco	...	Niccolò Di Cocco Donati 2 episodes, 1973
Roberto Bruni		2 episodes, 1973
Tom Felleghy	...	Rinaldo degli Albizzi 2 episodes, 1972-1973
Ugo Cardea	...	Niccolò Cusano 2 episodes, 1973
Bruno Cattaneo	...	Toscanelli 2 episodes, 1973
Valentino Macchi	...	Ubertino de' Bardi 2 episodes, 1972-1973
Maurizio Manetti		2 episodes, 1972-1973
Giuliano Esperati	...	Nuovo gonfaloniere 2 episodes, 1973
Goffredo Matassi	...	Bernardo Guadagni, gonfaloniere di Firenze 2 episodes, 1972-1973
Giacinto Ferro		2 episodes, 1973
Sergio Nicolai	...	Francesco Sederini 2 episodes, 1972-1973
Piero Gerlini	...	Poggio Bracciolini 2 episodes, 1973
Sergio Serafini	...	Lorenzo 2 episodes, 1972-1973
John Stacy	...	Ilarione de' Bardi 2 episodes, 1972-1973
Francesco Vairano		2 episodes, 1973
Yanti Somer	...	Contessina de' Bardi, moglie di Cosimo 2 episodes, 1972-1973

Storyline

This is a lengthy exposition of the social and political history of renaissance Florentine history, told through dramatised conversations between the main participants, particularly Cosimo de Medici and Brunelleschi. Among its themes are commerce and banking, artistic and scientific advances such as perspective and early automation of manufacturing processes, political processes such as taxation and voting and conflict.

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Plot Keywords:

florentine | tv mini series | 

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Genres:

Biography | History

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

May 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Age of the Medici

Company Credits

Production Co:

RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

255 min 85 min (3 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Debut of Fred Ward.

User Reviews

Introductory history with great sets and costumes

This is not really a drama; instead it's social,economic and political history told through sophisticated conversations between the protagonists and the odd set piece confrontation. Interactions are illustrative rather than performed. The positives are the real life settings using period buildings and cityscapes, the fascinating costumes and furnishings and the generally well done portrayal of interactions at the highest level. The subjects range widely: commerce, banking, arts, architecture, politics, diplomacy, government, though they are not covered in detail, with Rosselini skimming the surface in an appealing though superficial way. One might say one gets a feel for the themes of the period and it will be enjoyed more by those who don't know much about the period already.

So it doesn't have much on personal or family relationships, convincing conflict or intrigue, a sense of how the elite actually lived or much at all about the poorer section of the population. Think of it as a traditional history textbook with very rich illustrations.